Sheet separator



Jan. 17, 1955 BARlL, JR" ET AL 2,731,263

SHEET SEPARATOR Filed July 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

Jan.17,1956 A,BARiL,JR ETAL 2,731,263

SHEET SEPARATOR Filed July 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS W 1 MM ATTORNEYS United States Pate Q SHEET SEPARATOR Albert Bari Jr., and Irvin H. De Barbieris, New Orleans, La., assignors to Thos. J. Morans Sons Incorporated, New Orleans, La., a corporation of Louisiana Application July 13, 1953, Serial No. 367,528

3 Claims. (Cl. 271--18) This invention pertains to a method and device for separating sheet material and particularly for separating sheets of paper issuing from reproduction apparatus.

Wherever flexible sheets of material tend toadhere together as is the case of wet paper sheets issuing from photostat equipment and the like, it has been and continues to be a considerable problem to positively separate such sheets to put them in their diverse courses through the remainder of the equipment. While this description will proceed mainly with reference to reproduction equipment involving paper, it will be clear that the invention is applicable to any other sheet material, wherever the characteristics are similar insofar as the invention is concerned. This will be understood better as the description proceeds.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved sheet separator.

it is a further object of this invention to provide a sheet separator characterized by a blade member or the like positioned to engage an on-coming set of sheets adhering together so that first one sheet is deflected in a first direction and then the other sheet deflected in another direction to eflFect a separation.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part expressly set forth in the hereinafter detailed description and in the appended claims.

The invention may be best understood with referenceto the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows two superimposed adhering sheets issuing from rollers.

Figure 2 shows the desired separation of sheets as in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a separator device according to the present invention positioned in relation to rolls such as shown in Figures 1 and 2. v

Figure 4 shows an exemplary modification of one of the sheets and also shows a plan View of certain angular relationships involved in the invention.

Figure 5 shows an edge view of the sheets to be separated in relation to the separating device.

Figure 6 shows the separator just before the sheets are separated.

Figure 7 shows the relationship of the sheets and separator just as the sheets begin to be separated.

Figure 8 shows the relationship of the separated sheets just after the sheets have begun to separate, and

Figure 9 shows a second exemplary modification of one of the sheets to permit operation of the invention.

Referring to Figure l, the characteristic issuance of adhering sheets A and B from exemplary rolls 10 and 12 is illustrated. As shown in Figure 2, it is desired to separate'sheets A-and B so that they -may-travel-in diverse paths through the remainder of the process being applied thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 2, it may be desired to have the sheet A pass above and the sheet B pass below a shelf 14-. Those skilled in the art will fully understand the details of the cooperating equipment and no further description thereof is thought necessary in this 2,731,263 Patented Jan. 17, 1956 application. No limitation to any particular type of equipment is intended.

In Figure 3, where like reference numerals are employed, the inventionis exemplified by a separator device 16 suitably affixed to a side rail 18 of the associated apparatus. The separator device 16 is characterized by separator blade 29 and mounting end 22. The separator device 16 may be constructed of bendable sheet material for obtaining the necessary relationship of the blade 20 to the sheets A and B. However, if the blade 20 is of unbendable stock, then the mounting of end 22 to the rail or other member 18 of the equipment, may be more complex, to permit of adjustment. Of course, if accurately constructed at the outset, the mounting may be of a nonadjustable type.

The important aspect of the separator device 16 is the leading edge 24 of the blade Zil. Referring to Figures 48, with reference to the plane in which the adhering sheets A and B issue from the equipment, a first requirement of the invention is that the leading edges of the sheets A or B not coincide over at least part of the length of such edges. For example, in Figure 4 the upper lefthand cornerof sheet A is cut along a diagonal. Only a reasonable amount of the sheet need be so cut, although the entire leading edge of sheet A could be so modified. A second requirement is that the leading edge pass through the plane in which the sheets are moving.

The cut-away portion need not be a diagonal, but may have any configuration so long as one sheet will be in position-to engage the edge of the blade before the other sheet engages the blade. The first mentioned sheet must be contoured to deflect in a given direction, that is, to a given side of the blade without conflict. This is to be a sheet separating direction. By without conflict, we mean that there should be no projections on the sheet which would originally pass to one side of the blade, only to have the other portions of the sheet tend to pass to the opposite side of the blade. As soon as the other sheet has engaged the blade, this sheet must be contoured to deflect to the opposite side of the blade, again without conflict. The simplest expedient is to cut away diagonally at one corner of the sheet. It will be understood that such diagonal could be at the lower corner of the sheet as shown in Figure 4. It will also be understood that the lower sheet instead of the upper sheet may be so modified. Simply placing ordinary sheets so they do not coincide will sufllce.

To give an example of the invention, the leading edge 24 of blade 20 over the region designated a in Figures 4 and 5 is positioned at an angle 3 which is less than the angle x. The angle x is the angle between a base line formed by the general edge of the approaching sheets and the projection of a line between the point p and the more prominent of any receding point along the cut portion.

Where as shown in the drawings, the cut is so as to form V a diagonal, angle x is the angle of the diagonal.

Considered in a vertical plane as shown in Figure 5, a further requirement of the leading edge 24 of the separator blade is that it pass through the plane of the oncoming sheets, the projected intersection of the sheet B and leading edge 24 being again within the region a. The sense of intersection should be in a direction from the modified sheet and then past the unmodified sheet.

'lt'will be'understod that apart from the characteristics of the leading edge just set forth, the trailing and side edges of the blade may be of any configuration and may actually join with the shelf 14 or otherwise extend indefinitely to maintain the separation of the sheets. It will be appreciated that the leading edge 24 in the region a must be fairly sharp in relation to the thickness of the sheets A and B, particularly if the adhering forces are such that the a sheets will not begin to separate when one sheet is deflected.

. The operation of the separator may be most clearly understood with additional reference to Figures 6-8. As shown in Figure 6, the unmodified sheet B will first engage the leading edge 24 of the separator blade 20. Because of the above described orientation of the leading edge, the sheet B will begin to curl or deflect under the edge 24. This deflection will continue until the prominent point p of sheet A, which may be termed the pick-up point, is in immediate proximity to the leading edge 24 as shown in Figure 7. Possibly, by this time, depending upon the rection of movement of the oncoming sheets, the edge strength of adherence between the sheets, the curling under or" sheet B will already have begun to separate the point p of sheet A from point b in which case the leading edge 24 Will neatly pass between the sheets. However, even if the point p continues to adhere to the sheet B (by sheet A actually being rolled downward) nevertheless a fairly sharp. edge of blade 24 in the proximity of point p will pick this point of sheet A away from sheet B. Thereafter, if the sheets continue to advance the situation will be as shown in Figure 8, where sheet A is clearly riding up over the leading edge 24 of the separator blade and sheet B is passing therebeneath. The remainder of the separating operation will now be apparent.

The degree of tolerance of the plane in which the sheets move, is shown by b in Figure 5.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by the herewith invention sheets are separated by modifying and/or arranging one sheet with respect to the other so I that a blade in the path of the sheets may first engage one of the sheets and give it a deflecting movement so that a prominent point on the other sheet may be positively presented to the leading edge of the separator.

It should now be entirely clear that the, diagonal cut given here only as an example may be replaced with other modifications, or simply by proper placement of the sheets. As shown in Figure 9, sheet B may simply be positioned to leave a margin 26 of sheet A. This will function so long as edge 24 intersects sheet B to the right of the edge of sheet A as shown in this figure within region a. In general, after the edge 24 contacts sheet B, there can be no projection on the leading edge of sheet B which would overlie, the edge and therefore produce conflict. Before the engaging point of edge 24, passes the point p of sheet A, this point must present itself to the edge. Thereafter, there can be no conflict between the leading edge of sheet A and the edge 24.

It will be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given for purposes of explanation only. Upon reading this specification, many equivalent embodiments of the invention will occur to others. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the ap- 7 pended claims.

What is claimed is: V a

1. In a method of sheet separation wherein .at least two sheets positioned one against the other are advanced relative to a separating edge, the steps of; arranging the sheets so that the leading edge of the first sheet is in advance of the leading edge of the second sheet in an area to one side of a point on the leading edge of the second sheet, and so that the leading edge of the second sheet has said point therealong more advanced in the direction ofmotion of the sheets than any other point of the second sheet at least in said area; moving the sheets in a plane toward the edge so that the edge intersects the said plane of the sheets at an acute angle and within said area of the sheets and intersects a plane perpendicular to said dibeing so positioned relative to the plane of the sheets that a projection of said edge onto the plane of the sheets in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the sheets and from the direction of the second sheet is a line which will fall on said first sheet in said area to said side of said point on said second sheet prior to the line first intersecting the second sheet, and the line will first intersect the second sheet at said first point thereon, the arrangement being such that the leading edge of said first sheet in said area of said first sheet will be first engaged by the edge and deflected in a direction tending to separate the first sheet from the second sheet and as the sheets are further advanced the edge will eventually engage said point of the second sheet to deflect same away from said first sheet.

2. In a device for separating first and second sheets positioned one against the other, means for moving the sheets in a given direction, and a sheet separator means having a leading edge which is skewed to intersect the plane of the sheets in a given region of said plane at a first acute angle and to intersect at a second acute angle a plane perpendicular'to said direction of movement of the sheets so that a portion of the edge is first over the second sheet side, the arrangement being such that with the first sheet having a leading edge in said region in advance of the :leading edge of the second sheet in said region, and with the second sheet in said region having a leading edge at a greater angle than the said angle of intersection of the edge with the plane perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sheets, the said advance leading edge of the first sheet will first engage the edge and be deflected in a direction tending to separate the sheets and subsequently a leading point on the second sheet will be engaged by the edge and forced away from the first sheet.

3. In apparatus for separating first and second sheets positoned against one another, means for moving the sheets in a given direction, the first sheet having a leading edge in advance of the leading edge of the second sheet at least in an area to a side of a point along the leading edge of the second sheet, said point being more advanced in the direction of motion of the sheets than any other point of the second sheet in said area, a sheet separator means having a leading edge which is skewed to intersect the plane of the sheets at a first acute angle in said area thereof, and the intersection also being'at a second acute angle to a plane perpendicular to said direction of movement of the sheets, said angles being such that a projection of said edge onto the plane of the sheets in a directionperpendicular to the plane of the sheets and from the direction of the second sheet side is a line which will fall on the first sheet in said area prior to the line first intersecting any point of the second sheet in said area and will first intersect the second sheet at said point thereon, the arrangement being such that the leading edge of the first sheet will first engage the edge of the separating means and will be deflected in a direction tending to sep arate the sheets and subsequently said point on the second sheet will be engaged by the edge and forced away from the first sheet.

References Cited in the ,file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Myers Dec. 20, 1927 

